first aid

• First Aid is the immediate help offered to people suffering from a sudden accident, illness or injury
• Accidents happen suddenly when we least expect it
• As a First Aider, your treatment is enough to save a life
• 5 basic principles of Emergency Care:

  • Preserve Life: includes the life of the patient, bystander, and rescuer
  • Protect the patient from further harm: ensure the scene is safe (Hazards)
  • Provide pain relief: could include the use of ice packs or applying a sling (not allowed to administer medication unless it is the patient's own)
  • Prevent the injury or illness from becoming worse: ensure the treatment provided does not make the condition worse
  • Provide reassurance
• Abandonment:

  • Once you start treating a patient, you must continue until you hand over to someone of equal or higher qualification
  • Leaving the patient with no one to look after is called abandonment
• Negligence:

  • Failing to treat a patient according to your level
• Informed consent:

  • Obtaining verbal permission from a patient to treat them
  • If a patient refuses help, you must respect their wishes
• Implied consent:

  • When a patient does not respond due to the nature of injuries (e.g., unconscious), treatment must start
• BSI Precautions can help protect against blood borne and airborne diseases
• Blood borne diseases include Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS
• Airborne diseases include Tuberculosis
• BSI stands for Body Substance Isolation Protection
• Hepatitis B vaccines are part of BSI precautions
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes medical exam gloves, protective eyewear, mask, and breathing devices
• Hand washing:

  • Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap
  • Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap
  • Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds
  • Rinse your hands well under clean, running water
• Medical exam gloves should be used whenever possible as a barrier device between you and any possible blood
• Bystanders are a vital link between EMS and the patient
• When deciding to act in an emergency, size up the scene and check for hazards
• Determine what happened and how many patients are involved
• For serious situations, call EMS right away
• In South Africa, the national emergency number from a landline is 10177 and from a cell phone it is 112
• The telephone number for Gardmed Ambulance Service is 041 3736777 or 082 653 5881
• Information needed when calling an emergency medical service:

  • Your name
  • Your telephone number
  • The incident address (including street address, closest crossroads, landmarks, and directions from the main road)
  • Details of the medical emergency (e.g., patient unconscious and not breathing)
• Do not hang up unless the dispatcher tells you to; they may advise you on providing care
• Actions to take until EMS arrives:

  • Recheck the patient's condition and vitals
  • Cover the patient with a blanket for shock treatment
  • Record any changes in the patient's condition
  • Report your findings and care to EMS upon their arrival
• Hazards must always be the first step in approaching any emergency
• It is vitally important to ensure it is safe for the rescuer to approach the emergency before providing help
• The rescuer needs to assess the scene and ensure it is safe for:

  • Themselves, using necessary personal protective equipment
  • Bystanders
  • The patient
• Once these criteria are met, the rescuer can proceed to the next stage
• Hello is a crucial step in the process
• Assess whether the patient is awake by tapping them on the shoulders and shouting "Are you okay?"
• If the patient responds, place them into the recovery position
• If they do not respond, check for breathing
• Breathing assessment:
• Look for normal breathing in the patient from the head to the belly
• Occasional gasping does not count as normal breathing
• If in doubt about breathing, they are most likely not breathing
• If there is no response from the patient, they are definitely unconscious, indicating a medical emergency
• Call for help by contacting appropriate emergency medical services
• If you are alone and need to call for help, do so immediately and then return to the patient to provide care and/or CPR if necessary